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Panelists Ben Ferguson and Stacy Washington discuss how Democrats are reacting to DOGE looking into government spending on ‘The Bottom Line.’
A Treasury Department official told members of Congress on Tuesday that a tech executive working with the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, will have "read-only access" to the government's payment system, stressing that it is committed to safeguarding the system after DOGE was granted access.
The official penned a letter in response to lawmakers who were concerned that DOGE's access to the government's payment system for the federal government could lead to security risks or missed payments for various programs, including Social Security and Medicare.
Lawmakers have also expressed concerns that billionaire Elon Musk, who leads DOGE, possesses too much power within the U.S. government and that he says on his social media platform X that DOGE will shut down payments to some organizations, such as a Lutheran charity.
The letter notes that the ongoing review of the Treasury's systems has "not caused payments for obligations such as Social Security and Medicare to be delayed or re-routed" and that Cloud Software Group CEO Tom Krause was working at Treasury as a "special government employee," which means rules on ethics and financial disclosures are less strict than for other government employees.
Elon Musk is seen in the U.S. Capitol after a meeting with Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., while on the Hill to talk about President-elect Donald Trump's "Department of Government Efficiency," on Thursday, December 5, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Krause is conducting the review in coordination with career treasury officials, the letter said.
"Currently, Treasury staff members working with Tom Krause, a Treasury employee, will have read-only access to the coded data of the Fiscal Service’s payment systems in order to continue this operational efficiency assessment," the letter reads. "This is similar to the kind of access that Treasury provides to individuals reviewing Treasury systems, such as auditors, and that follows practices associated with protecting the integrity of the systems and business processes."
"Treasury will continue its efforts to promote efficiency and effectiveness in its operations, and to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse," it adds.
The Treasury's payments are managed by its Bureau of the Fiscal Service, which disburses nearly 90% of all federal payments and conducts more than 1.2 billion transactions per year.
The official said the purpose of the review is to "maximize payment integrity for agencies and the public."
"Treasury has no higher obligation than managing the government’s finances on behalf of the American people, and its payments system is critical to that process," the letter reads. "In keeping with that mission, Treasury is committed to safeguarding the integrity and security of the system, given the implications of any compromise or disruption to the U.S. economy."
The U.S. Treasury Building, photographed on Friday, July 16, 2021, in Washington, D.C. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images / Getty Images)
While the Treasury official said DOGE has just "read-only access" to the payments systems, some Democrats remain skeptical.
"Some Republicans are trying to suggest that Musk only has ‘viewing access’ to Treasury’s highly sensitive payment system as if that’s acceptable either," Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said in a statement.
"But why on earth should we believe that — particularly when he is saying the exact opposite loudly and repeatedly for everyone to see?" Murray, vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, added.
A group of labor unions and advocates have filed a lawsuit attempting to block the Treasury from handing over access to the payment systems to DOGE.
"The scale of the intrusion into individuals’ privacy is massive and unprecedented," the lawsuit reads. "People who must share information with the federal government should not be forced to share information with Elon Musk or his 'DOGE.' And federal law says they do not have to."
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The U.S. Treasury Department building is seen in Washington, D.C., January 19, 2023. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Some congressional Democrats decided to test if they would be granted access to the Treasury since DOGE was given access, with Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., writing on X: "We are members of Congress at the Treasury Department. We want to be let in to provide oversight on behalf of our constituents."
White House communications director Steven Cheung responded: "Look at these losers. Literally everything they do is for social media clout."
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DOGE's access to the payment systems came after the Treasury’s Acting Deputy Secretary David Lebryk resigned from the agency. Lebryk resigned from his position after DOGE requested access to sensitive Treasury data, according to The Washington Post.
"The Fiscal Service performs some of the most vital functions in government," Lebryk said in a letter to Treasury employees. "Our work may be unknown to most of the public, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t exceptionally important. I am grateful for having been able to work alongside some of the nation’s best and most talented operations staff."
